DAC-2015-03

DAC-2015-03 (also referred to commercially as the Cairns Carbon Farming Project) is a Native Forest from Managed Regrowth project located approximately 30km southeast of Charleville in the Murweh Shire of South West Queensland. It was registered in July 2015 and originally covered a project area of 20,799.08 hectares, though a variation in July 2016 removed some areas from the project boundaries.

Native Forest from Managed Regrowth projects involve ceasing the mechanical or chemical destruction, or suppression, of native vegetation. By stopping these clearing practices on land previously subjected to comprehensive clearing for pastoral use, the project allows native trees to permanently regenerate from in-situ seed sources, rootstock, and lignotubers. The goal is to allow this native vegetation to regenerate until it achieves typical forest cover, which standardizes at a minimum of 20% crown cover and 2 metres in height.

The Murweh Shire region is characterized by its deep connection to agriculture, with cattle, sheep, and goat grazing being the dominant land uses. The environment is classified as a semi-arid zone, experiencing an average annual rainfall of around 490 to 510 mm. The local landscape primarily consists of vast mulga plains and rangelands, featuring soil profiles that range from red earths and sandy loams to heavier clay plains associated with brigalow and gidgee scrub.

Interestingly, the project proponent, Devine Agribusiness Carbon Pty Ltd, was originally founded by a group of local Queensland graziers, rural valuers, and agribusiness consultants. In July 2021, the company was successfully acquired by GreenCollar, Australia’s largest environmental markets investor and project developer, to further expand carbon farming opportunities and effectively integrate them alongside traditional grazing operations throughout the region.